Improving your SEO series with PatientMD: How to use citations and links to improve your search rankings

A steady stream of new and returning patients seeking treatment is required for any medical practice to succeed. Medical practices, like any other business looking to expand their market by gaining new customers, face numerous challenges when trying to attract new patients. You will require the latest techniques and tools to make your practice stand out from the crowd of thousands of operating healthcare practitioners. Both Local and Organic search rankings are influenced by citations and links, which are powerful signals. You do not have to worry about learning new tricks as PatientMD specifically offers services to devise SEO strategies for medical practices.

Not sure what are the advantages of Citations and links? Here are the 3 advantages:

1. Visibility

How much does free publicity cost? Some time and effort.

More ways for people to find your business online are provided by links and citations. The team of digital marketers at PatientMD can help you build citations which allows you to take ownership of the information that you share with search engines and your audience. They assist in generating positive exposure and establishing your online presence, resulting in more customers visiting your website and business location.

2. Rankings

Have you ever wondered how to improve your search engine rankings from the bottom of the page? Google considers links and citations when determining which businesses should appear in which positions in their local business search results (A-G listings). The quantity and quality of links pointing to your website are important ranking factors for Google and other search engines. PatientMD can help in correctly listing your business across credible online directories which can greatly impact your rankings in the SERPs (search engine results pages).

3. Trustworthiness

Trust is everything in the digital world. More than the products and services you offer, people want to trust your brand and your commitment to them. People use local directories and social media platforms like Facebook and Yelp to learn more about a company's identity and reputation in citations.

Best Practices for Citation and Link Building

If you're not familiar with link and citation building, you could make mistakes that cost you exposure, rankings, and profits.

1. Compile a List of Your Business Information

Open a blank document and begin listing the core components of a citation:

N.A.P. information (name, business, phone number).

Website URL.

Business descriptions of your company and products/services.

Business categories.

Image URLs.

Social media URLs.

2. List Relevant Business Categories

According to a survey, the number one negative ranking factor is incorrectly listing your business category. While it is advantageous to list your law firm under a broad category such as "Lawyers," PatientMD places your firm in more specific and relevant categories such as "Estate Planning Attorneys" or "Insurance Attorney," which improves your citation rankings in the search results.

3. Update Old Citations and Delete Duplicate Listings

One quick and easy way to find old business citations is to search Google for your business name. You should claim and update any citations that have incorrect information (old business address, incorrect phone number, misspelled business name, etc.). Report a duplicate listing if you find two citations in the same directory.

4. Multiple Locations or Practitioners

Is your company spread out across tens, hundreds, or even thousands of locations? Claiming, optimizing, and verifying as many, if not all, locations as possible under one account is always recommended.

Citation building is a powerful link-building strategy that all healthcare practices should implement, whether it's for generating online exposure for your business, bringing traffic to your website and storefront, or connecting with customers and retailers. To achieve the required results, you should talk to our experts at PatientMD. Get in touch with us right away to see how we can assist you!